Research at ITP

Professors at ITP

Workgroups at theoretical Physics

Condensed matter

Condensed Matter Physics at ITP

The focus of theoretical solid state physics at ITP is on the analysis of strong correlation effects in electronic solid-state materials and in synthetic quantum systems of ultracold atoms. Specific properties of materials, as well as universal properties of whole groups of materials, are investigated. Of particular interest are collective and emergent properties of quantum many-particle systems, whose existence is due to the macroscopically many degrees of freedom, as well as quantum many-body dynamics out of equilibrium. A broad spectrum of theoretical methods is applied, ranging from modern numerical simulation techniques to the methods of quantum field theory.

Further information about these fields of research can be found on the websites of the following research groups.

Elementary matter

High Energy Physics at ITP

The central research focus of theoretical high energy physics at the ITP is the study of strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions of temperature and density. Such conditions can be produced in heavy ion collisions at particle accelerators such as the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). In the cosmos, these conditions appear in the merger of neutron stars or black holes, where the emission of a strong gravitational wave signal contains signatures of high energy phenomena. The long term goal is to acquire an in depth understanding of the interplay between dynamic and thermodynamic properties of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the fundamental theory of the strong force, and especially the QCD-phase diagram.

To undertake these investigations, a variety of methods are being employed: analysis via lattice gauge theory directly based on QCD (Philipsen, Wagner), effective low energy theories of the strong force, studied with the help of functional renormalization groups (Rischke), quantum field theory in non-equilibrium (Greiner, Philipsen), transport theory for the simulation of the dynamics of heavy ion collisions (Bleicher, Greiner, Petersen, Stöcker), hydrodynamics for heavy ion collision (Petersen, Rischke) and magnetohydrodynamics in the merger of neutron stars and black holes, and the appearance of gravitational waves (Rezzolla).

More information about the various research areas can be found on the websites of the corresponding work-groups.